Updated August 2026: Martin, George Romero’s 1977 vampire thriller, finally arrives on 4K UHD. Second Sight’s restoration brings the director’s cut to Blu-ray and 4K for the first time, with a new 4K scan from the original camera negative, plus a 2024 HDR grade overseen by Romero himself before his 2007 passing.
Martin is a psychological horror film that was released in the United States in 1977 and starring John Amplas. The screenplay for Martin was written by George A. Romero, who also directed the film. The movie is well known all around the world by its alternative title, Wampyr. Martin was Romero’s sixth feature film and came after The Crazies in the director’s production timeline. 1976 was the year it was filmed, and the plot centers on a troubled young guy who is convinced that he is a vampire.
Second Sight Films is bringing George A. Romero’s pseudo-vampire thriller Martin to 4K UHD. This film was George A. Romero’s personal favorite among all the movies he had made, and now the movie will be available in this format! If you are situated in the United Kingdom, you have the option to pre-order copies directly from Second Sight; however, the company ships only within the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the United States, pre-orders for the release are now being accepted at Zavvi and Diabolik, respectively. The Blu-ray discs that come with the package can only be played in region B, while the 4K UHD discs can be accessed and played in any country on the globe.
FACT
The character of Martin was originally written as an older man who was also a real vampire. When Romero saw Amplas in a play of Philemon in Pittsburgh, he decided to modify the part so that it would be more suitable for Amplas and cast him in the role.
In addition to John Amplas, Lincoln Maazel, Christine Forrest, Elayne Nadeau, and Tom Savini, George A. Romero makes a cameo appearance in the film playing the part of a priest. Savini’s work here cemented a partnership with Romero that ran through Dawn of the Dead and beyond — see our deep dive on Tom Savini, the King of Horror Special Effects.
The following bonus materials are included in the Martin 4K UHD edition from Second Sight:
- A Second Sight Films 4K scan and restoration of a 35mm dupe negative supervised and approved by Director of Photography Michael Gornick
- Presented in HDR10+
- Audio commentary by George A Romero, John Amplas and Tom Savini
- Audio commentary by George A Romero, Richard P Rubinstein, Tom Savini, Michael Gornick and Donald Rubinstein
- A new audio commentary by film historian Travis Crawford
- A new audio commentary by film critic Kat Ellinger
- Taste the Blood of Martin: A new feature-length documentary including location tour
- Scoring the Shadows: A new interview with composer Donald Rubinstein
- J Roy – New And Used Furniture: a short film by Tony Buba
- Making Martin: A Recounting
- Trailers, TV and radio spots
